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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

 Division of Compensation Analysis and Support 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES 

 

 

 

This working document was prepared by NIOSH’s Division of Compensation Analysis and Support (DCAS) or its contractor for use in discussions 

with the ABRWH or its Working Groups or Subcommittees. Draft, preliminary, interim, and White Paper documents are not final NIOSH or ABRWH 

(or their technical support and review contractors) positions unless specifically marked as such. This document represents preliminary positions taken 

on technical issues prepared by NIOSH or its contractor. NOTICE: This document has been reviewed to identify and redact any information that 

is protected by the Privacy Act 5 USC §552a and has been cleared for distribution. 

 Memorandum 

To: Pinellas Plant Working Group 

From: Peter Darnell, DCAS Health Physicist 

 Brian Gleckler, ORAU Team Health Physicist 

Mutty Sharfi, ORAU Team Principal AWE Dosimetrist 

Subject: Revision to Pinellas Plant Site Profile

Date: April 20, 2016 

NIOSH revised the majority of the Pinellas Site Profile (also known as the technical basis 

document TBD) in 2011 and completed the internal dose section in 2012.1 Since then, there have 

been data capture efforts in support of dosimetry during the decontamination and 

decommissioning (D&D) era and development of a model for exposure to insoluble tritium. 

These efforts concluded March 10, 2016, with the resolution of the TBD matrix issues and 

agreement on the tritium exposure models. This memo, in conjunction with the Issues Matrix 

provided during the March 23-24, 2016, meeting of the Advisory Board on Radiation Worker 

Health (ABRWH), describes NIOSH’s plan to incorporate information into a revision of the 

Pinellas TBD. 

NIOSH proposes to revise Section 5.7.1.1 and 5.7.1.2 of ORAUT-TKBS-0029-5 as follows. The 

revision will be in the form of full TBD revision. 

The most common forms of soluble tritium encountered at the Pinellas Plant were tritium gas 

(HT) and tritiated water (HTO). Potential exposure to OBT compounds also existed. The 

Section 5.7.1.1 revision will create an approach for assessing potential exposures to all types of 

organically bound tritium (OBT) compounds (this section currently refers to the approach 

described in ORAUT-OTIB-0011 for potential exposures to the more soluble OBT compounds). 

 

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 Site Research Database (SRDB) Reference Identification Number (Ref ID) 107706 
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This working document was prepared by NIOSH’s Division of Compensation Analysis and Support (DCAS) or its contractor for use in discussions 

with the ABRWH or its Working Groups or Subcommittees. Draft, preliminary, interim, and White Paper documents are not final NIOSH or ABRWH 

(or their technical support and review contractors) positions unless specifically marked as such. This document represents preliminary positions taken 

on technical issues prepared by NIOSH or its contractor. NOTICE: This document has been reviewed to identify and redact any information that 

is protected by the Privacy Act 5 USC §552a and has been cleared for distribution. 

The approach for assessing exposures to HT and HTO remains unchanged and assumes that 

100% of the tritium intake was attributable to HTO. Calculation of HTO doses uses the worker’s 

urine bioassay data according to ORAUT-OTIB-011. To determine the appropriate dose 

assignment, the dose reconstructor will calculate doses using 100% HTO and 100% OBT with 

the worker’s urine bioassay data. The dose reconstructor will assign the most claimant favorable 

dose.

Revision of Section 5.7.1.2 involves the NIOSH approach for assessing potential unmonitored 

exposures to insoluble tritium. This revised section will no longer contain reference to OBT 

because of the changes to Section 5.7.1.1. Section 5.7.1.2 will include the following: 

 Resuspension factor: 5E-5 per meter; 

 Highest contamination survey (contamination levels between 1957 and 1973 are the basis for 

the airborne contamination source term): 4.4E+06 dpm/100 cm2); 

 50-hour work week; 

 Insoluble tritium was only present in areas where soluble tritium was handled and where the 

workers were monitored for soluble tritium exposures, thus, this approach only applies to 

workers with tritium bioassay; and, 

 Doses calculated for both type M and S insoluble tritium compounds with the most claimant 

favorable dose assigned. 

NIOSH currently plans to publish the TBD in August 2016. 

[Signature on File] 

_____________________________________ 

Peter A. Darnell, CHP, RRPT 

Health Physicist